麻豆影院 Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano on Thursday, July 9, issued a statement of support for the settlement discussions occurring between the city of 麻豆影院 and Xcel Energy related to the city鈥檚 ongoing efforts to create its own municipal electric utility.听
On tap for city-Xcel discussions:
Key to the negotiations are the issues of:
- Equity and resilience.
- Decarbonization of energy sources.
- Local power generation.
- Community voice in energy sources and smart-grid development.
- Rates.
- Reliability.
- Research and innovation.
If successful, the talks would culminate in a ballot initiative this fall for 麻豆影院 voters to consider a franchise agreement with Xcel Energy. The university recognizes that it is closely intertwined with both the city and Xcel, and that opportunities abound for the three to collaborate in leveraging research and smart-energy technologies that would enhance reliability and efficiency. A settlement could accelerate the realization of these opportunities.听
鈥淐U 麻豆影院 is encouraged that two of its key partners are looking to create a settlement agreement around the provision of electricity to 麻豆影院 in the future,鈥� DiStefano said. 鈥淴cel Energy鈥檚 efforts to be carbon-free by 2050 with 80% less carbon emissions by 2030 is highly consistent with the goals of CU and the city.听The city and Xcel Energy have done great work to define their goals and are committed to innovation. We believe there is great opportunity to further creative energy research between our three organizations in the future with support from federal agencies and other organizations.鈥�
CU 麻豆影院 and the city in 2017 signed an agreement outlining future electric services should a city-owned electric utility begin providing service to customers in 麻豆影院. That agreement did not represent a position in favor of or against the municipalization of electric services by the city. Rather, the university administration felt that it had a responsibility to ensure CU 麻豆影院 could maintain financial stability while at the same time acquiring reliable, resilient power that could support the number of people living, working and learning on campus.听
As the second-largest electricity customer in the city, this remains the key objective for the university.
